Foundation Certificate in Canine Exercise Rehabilitation
Study online from anywhere in the world!!

As part of the Foundation Certificate in Canine Exercise Rehabilitation you will develop your understanding of musculoskeletal anatomy and exercise physiology as well as learning the theory behind exercise prescription for dogs and rehab programme development. These are the foundations of canine rehabilitation therapy and a good understanding of these topics is essential to provide the best exercise and management advice to owners.
Who is this course for?
A Veterinary Nurse wanting to develop your knowledge and skills in rehabilitation so that you can better assist clients with post operative exercise advice and see that more cases return to full function after surgery as well as providing support for patients with debilitating musculoskeletal conditions such as OA.
OR
A Canine Manual Therapist who is frustrated that in some cases, although your hands on treatment provides great short term relief, your patient continues on a downward spiral and without the specific knowledge in corrective exercise, you are struggling to help them further.
The Certificate also forms the first module of the Diploma in Canine Exercise Rehabilitation, so if you later want to progress your skills to a more advanced level and become one our ‘Certified Rehabilitation Therapists’ then you will already be well on your way with the Certificate under your belt.
What our students have to say.....

Study for your Foundation Certificate in Canine Exercise Rehabilitation
What's included in this course?
- What exactly exercise rehabilitation is and why it is so important
- Assessment and reasoning - how you will work in the vet led team
- Essential functional anatomy and exercise physiology
- How the body positively responds to exercise and how to use this advantage
- Therapeutic exercises to include those for: balance and proprioception, assisted standing and ambulation, strength and joint range of motion
- How to develop rehabilitation goals and measure improvement
- How to use our trusted framework to develop a rehabilitation programme
How much time is required to study?
Study for your Foundation Certificate in Canine Exercise Rehabilitation
Benefits of studying with us
Why should you choose to study with us? Below are some of the reasons:
- We have been doing this since 2003! Your tutor, Katie Lawrence, is a very experienced specialist in veterinary education and veterinary physiotherapy/rehabilitation and has been training veterinary nurses in canine physiotherapy and rehabilitation since 2003. Katie’s unique combination of expertise means that she knows exactly what you need to know and exactly how you need to learn it.
- Free access to supporting literature and research – with your course membership you have access to relevant research, some of which is not freely available and core textbooks, worth over £100 – one of which is the extensively detailed book ‘Canine Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy’ written by experts in canine rehabilitation Darryl Millis and David Levine!!
- Free access Canine Exercise Solutions Software which contains 100’s of instruction videos with experts from the University of Tennessee and Laurie Edge-Hughes from Four Leg Rehab Inc. Access to this software is usually through a monthly subscription!
- Support and community – You will become part of our private Facebook group just for our canine rehab students. Here you will have the support of your classmates! You also have direct access to Katie for any help and advice with cases or any other area of your study. You are fully supported throughout your training.
- Quality assured CPD/CE – Anyone can put together a CPD and sell it online. There are no compulsory requirements to adhere to. However, we want to make sure that you feel confident studying with us so our courses and our organisation is externally endorsed by the Quality Licence Scheme which is part of the Skills and Education Group. This means that we choose to undergo robust and rigorous quality audits by external auditors to ensure the quality of our courses and provision is continually met.
Meet Your Tutor
Registered Veterinary Physiotherapist, Canine Rehabilitation Therapist, Specialist in Veterinary Education - Katie Lawrence
Like you, I am dedicated to the wellbeing of animals. There is nothing quite like the feeling you get when you can provide the way forward for a dog who has broken down on the road to recovery. So much of the pain and suffering seen in dogs comes from their musculoskeletal system and I am so grateful that I have the knowledge and skills to help them.
Quick points about me:
- I have been a Veterinary Physiotherapist for 20 years and have been training Equine and Canine therapists and Veterinary Nurses since 2003.
- I have developed many courses including vocational diplomas and an undergraduate degree in Veterinary Physiotherapy (BSc Hons).
- I have been involved in industry regulation for many years and regularly sit on validation panels and on course approval boards.
- I developed the first ever blended learning Veterinary Physiotherapy Degree
- I have a specialist qualification in Veterinary Education from the Royal Veterinary College, London (RVC). I was the first Veterinary Physiotherapist in the world to be awarded this qualification.
- I hold a Postgraduate Qualification in Equestrian Rehabilitation and Performance.
- I was a founding board member of the Animal Health Professions’ Register (AHPR).
- I am a lifetime Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
My mission for the last 18 years has been to share my knowledge and skills far and wide, so that many more dogs can reap the benefits of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation. Thank you for helping me! Read more about Katie.

We LOVE to follow our past students' success!!
Read about Alex Collins and her growing business Flexidog Therapy & Training Workshops.

Alex has competed in Agility for the past 12 years and it was the endeavour to condition her dogs correctly and prevent sporting injuries that ignited her passion for therapy and rehabilitation. To build on her knowledge and skills from past training which include equine science, canine anatomy, physiology, nutrition and massage, Alex undertook our Diploma in Canine Exercise Rehabilitation which she completed in 2020.
Flexidog Therapy specialises in canine exercise rehabilitation programs, 'return to sports' fitness programs, fitness and conditioning group workshops and therapeutic massage to sporting and pet dogs. Here is what a Flexidog Therapy client has to say about Alex:
'I have completed a 10 session fitness programme that Alex devised for my two shelties who both do agility. I would wholeheartedly recommend Alex to anyone looking for an excellent conditioning programme for their dogs, whether working, rehab or just general conditioning. She is sensitive to their needs, extremely knowledgeable and very clear in her instruction and guidance’.
Alex has also partnered with therapists from Bach Canine Rehab and Canine Rebalance on an exciting project ‘Conditioning your Canine’. Conditioning your Canine provides access to a great library of canine conditioning and rehabilitation videos uniquely including training tips for owners.
Well done to Alex for all her hard work and for reaching more owners with high quality instruction and guidance for their pets!! Check out Flexi Dog Therapy.